Mossad chief Dedi Barnea revealed on Tuesday for the first time that a Mossad agent fell abroad in the line of duty.

Speaking at a Yom HaZikaron ceremony for fallen Mossad personnel, Barnea said: “On this day, I think of the Mossad’s fallen and their choice to contribute years of their lives to Israel’s security.”

“During Operation Roaring Lion, my thoughts and heart were filled with pride in the character and actions of M., who fell outside of Israel while fulfilling his duty.”

“The operations led by M. combined creativity, ingenuity, and advanced technology, and significantly impacted the success of the campaign against Iran.”

“Thanks to the dedication, bravery, and sacrifice of the fallen, Am Yisrael Chai v’Kayam. Yehi Zichram Baruch,” Barnea concluded.

Although M. was involved in the ongoing battle against Iran, he died several years ago, and not in the recent war. He was killed at the age of 50 in a boating accident amid a storm on Lake Maggiore in Italy in May 2023, during a meeting that Italian media described as a gathering of intelligence personnel from Israel and Italy. Three others were killed in the accident, including two Italian intelligence officers.

The fact that the boat left the port despite the stormy weather, as well as the identities of those killed, has raised many questions about the significance of the meeting that took place at that time. There were other Israelis on the boat, who, according to reports in Italy, were flown back to Israel on a private jet after the accident.

Senior Mossad officials attended his levaya in Ashkelon wearing face masks and hats.

Barnea spoke at the levaya, saying: “I knew him as a professional of the highest caliber, pleasant in manner, a lover of people, kind-hearted, calm and quiet. I remember him with his constant smile and dimples. He was a people person—there were always young and old around him, foreigners and Israelis alike, and he knew how to speak to everyone in their own language, in every sense, calmly and respectfully.”

M. served in the Mossad for about 30 years.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)